CONNECTICUT Q & A: KENNETH RING

By SHARON L. BASS

Published: August 28, 1988

PROBABLY the oldest mystery to vex mankind is what, if anything, occurs after death. For a decade, Kenneth Ring, a psychology professor and researcher at the University of Connecticut, has looked into the question through the near-death experiences of others.

Mr. Ring, who is 52-years-old and a resident of Storrs, talked with hundreds of people between the ages of 18 and 84 who have come close to physical death. Like other researchers in the field, he has found some striking parallels in the ''out of body'' experiences people they say they experienced while near death.

Mr. Ring's ''Life at Death'' was published by William Morrow and Company in 1980. In 1984, the company published Mr. Ring's second book, ''Heading Toward Omega.'' Both deal with near-death experiences and how they change people's lives.

He is now embarking on a new study: the psycho-biological changes that occur as a result of near-death experiences and ways to objectively measure them.

In an interview at his office at UConn, Mr. Ring talked about his work and the powerful effects of near-death experiences on those who have them. are some excerpts from the conversation:

Q. What is a near-death experience?

A. It often happens to individuals who find themselves on the verge of imminent biological death. It involves a pattern of feelings and images and sensations which include a sense of the most profound peace and well-being that is possible to imagine. It's a sense of being separate from the physical body and sometimes being able to see it as though a spectator off to one side or from up above.

These people have a sense of moving through a dark space or tunnel toward a radiantly beautiful white or golden light. They are absorbed in that light, having in some cases a panoramic life review in which virtually everything that they've ever done in their life they're able to see; perhaps meeting the spirits of deceased love ones or friends. And in some cases, they are asked to make a decision as to whether they would like to continue or go back to their body.

Q. Do all people who have reported a near-death experience go through the same pattern?

A. No. Although most people who have any conscious recall of what it's like to die will relate something that conforms at least in part to this model. But the majority of people who come close to death will not remember anything at all. Nobody knows why. Not everyone remembers their dreams, although we know everyone dreams.

Q. What prompted you to study near-death experiences?

A. I read Raymond Moody's book ''Life After Life,'' which was the first of the best-selling books on the subject, back in 1975. It piqued my interest tremendously. I figured this needed looking into by someone who is more research oriented than Moody, who is a philosopher and a physician.

Q. How old is the field?

A. About 10 years. The first scientific organization devoted to near-death experience, which brought together researchers in medicine, psychology and sociology, was formed in 1978 at the University of Virginia. It was called, and it's a stuffy title, the Association for the Scientific Study of Near-Death Phemomena.

A couple of years later, the director of the organization asked me if I would take it over. I agreed and relocated it to the University of Connecticut and renamed it the International Association for Near-Death Study. It's still here, but now it's at the Medical School.

Q. Since the area of research was so new, how did you go about establishing yourself?

A. I designed the research study that took me into various hospitals in the Hartford area where I asked the medical and administrative staff to put me in touch with persons who had been either very close to physical death or had been clinically dead. I interviewed them to learn whether they remembered anything at the time they were close to death and if they did, what it was.

Q. How common are near-death experiences?

A. Roughly one out of every three people who come close to death will have transcendental experiences. According to a 1981 survey, 23 million adult Americans have come close to death, so we're talking about something that is not rare.

Q. What have you discovered from all of your research?

A. I found that it doesn't matter how you almost die, with respect to the kind of experience you have when you come close to death - whether it's in an accident, an operation or a suicide attempt. Experiences didn't vary whether you were religious or not. Atheists were just as likely to have a near-death experience as religious people. They only interpreted it differently.

Factors such as race, gender, social class, education and age didn't affect the experience either. It also doesn't vary because of personality traits or whether you know about this kind of experience. You can't make it happen.

Q. How does a near-death experience change a person's life?

A. The most powerful antidote to the fear of death is coming close to death and having and remembering one of these experiences. So, one finding is that people who have a near-death experience almost totally lose their fear of death. People who come close to death and don't have this experience don't change on the average.